


Oracle of Bastet

by Linorien



Series: 007 Fest 2020 [7]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25132816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linorien/pseuds/Linorien
Summary: The Oracle of Bastet is a coveted role with much responsibility. People give up everything to become an Oracle. It can get a bit dull though.Its a good thing the Goddess has other plans.
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Series: 007 Fest 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810804
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54
Collections: 007 Fest Fancreations





	Oracle of Bastet

**Author's Note:**

> Anon prompt: Fantasy AU: Q is an oracle/avatar of a god, a role which he gave up his name and identity for, and most people only see him as his title. Bond is curious about the man behind the title.  
> Also Fantasy AU on AU table  
> Embedded artwork by 10kiaoi; link to their post at the bottom.

He sat on a stool in a courtyard, surrounded by tall grass and obscured by a wreath of haze. There was no breeze today and the smoke completely veiled him from the sight of his visitors. It had been a long morning of sitting and hearing supplications and he wanted to just nap in the noonday sun. They couldn’t see him; it wouldn’t matter to them if he curled up and napped. But the goddess he served would know. 

Then again, Bastet was the goddess of cats and they were excellent noon nappers.

Still, some of the visitors to the temple required answers. Like the young girl who walked so quietly he didn’t hear her approach. “Oh Oracle of Bastet, please accept my humble offering.” He could smell the catnip she sprinkled into the ring of smoke. He wondered how many people remembered that he was not a cat. “My cat has been lost and I am worried about her. Could you please ask Bastet to look out for her safety?”

He breathed in deeply and gave the standard reply. “Bastet protects all cats and will guide your cat wherever their journey lies.”

“Thank you, Oracle.”

He was always happy when the visitors were like her, children and even adults seeking protection for their loved felines. Certainly Bastet had provided for many cats by sending them into his care over the years. 

However, many of his visitors wished to appeal to Bastet’s warrior aspect. They pleaded for protection in battle. “Bastet protects those who are worthy and faithful.” Others pleased for the destruction of their enemy. “Bastet’s claws tear into those who have displeased her.” A couple even got creative and asked for the pregnancy of their enemy’s wife to go wrong and ruin their enemy’s family life. “Bastet will see that the pregnancy goes according to plan.” She hadn’t taught him that response when he became her mouthpiece, but it became a standard of his own. 

Yet those could all be answered with tried and true standard replies. The requests for guidance were much worse. 

Only just this morning, first visitor of the day, and already a request for a prophecy. “Oh Oracle of Bastet, I beseech you to guide me in the proper fencing of my lands. Do I need something more sturdy than rope? Should I dig a ditch?”

He sat there in silence until the man left. Bastet didn’t waste her time answering little questions like that. She’d protect his land like she did anyone else who was faithful to her. 

Instead his time was wasted. Although, he wasn’t doing anything anyways so it was hard to say if anything was wasted. He was nothing. He was only the Oracle of Bastet. He gave up his former life to be the oracle. He was gifted with slitted eyes and no need to eat, so it wasn’t a bad deal.

Oh no. He could hear the imperious click of heels on the distant tiled walkway. A priest of the pharaoh.

“Oracle of Bastet, your pharoah demands an answer,” he said, not even bothering to bow. 

“I answer to--”

“Your pharaoh,” he stressed the words as he spoke over the oracle. “Needs to know if Neb-uki is planning to ford the river or will be approaching from the south. It is imperative that the information is accurate in order to defend the territory.” He continued to imperiously extol the glory of the empire and the pharaoh. 

The priests were annoying for their attitude, but also for what came next. 

The smoke swirled and then crashed inward, forcing its way into the oracle’s nose and mouth. He inhaled sharply and his vision went white. His chest felt like it was burning up from the inside as the goddess inhabited him and spoke through him. 

_“He comes from the water but it is in the sand where the true rival lies.”_ His voice was silky and both a higher pitch and a low purr. “ _Be cautious and not fearful of retreat. It may save you.”_

Then the goddess left. The smoke rushed out of his body and he sagged, nearly collapsing. He couldn’t hear anything the priest said over the pounding of the blood in his head and his own desperate breaths. Slowly his vision returned. The priest was long gone. 

“Ankhu, are you alright?” However he wasn’t alone. Bankole was back again. 

“I told you that’s not my name anymore,” he rasped. 

Bankole shook his head. “Nonsense. You can’t just go and leave your name behind. That’s not how names work.”

“I gave it up when I became the oracle. I’ve told you to forget that name.” He pushed himself to a standing position and stretched out his spine, still hidden by the smoke. 

“I can’t forget the name; I can’t forget you.” Bankole took a step forward. “Give me another story about you? Another memory of your younger days?”

“Why? Why do you care about the oracle?” He sat back down on the stool. He’d felt generous the last few times and given the man a couple memories he had. He still didn’t know how Bankole had learned his old name. He’d nearly forgotten that name completely.

“I don’t care about the oracle, I care about you.” He walked forward again. He was nearly standing in the smoke now, the unspoken barrier between the holy oracle and the rest of the world. 

The oracle froze. He didn’t know what to do. No one had every come this close before. “I don’t know if you want anything to come of this, but we can’t be together. I serve the goddess. I live in the temple. I gave up my humanity to be the oracle.”

“ _And I can give it back to you.”_ His mouth moved of its own accord. That never happened. It was clearly Bastet speaking through him, but the smoke hadn’t rushed in and his vision was still fine. 

“What?”

“ _You have served me well for many years, and now it is time for you to live your own life again.”_

The smoke suddenly faded and he could see Bankole in front of him. He was tall, muscular, eyes bluer than the sky, and a tentative smile. A smile that grew wider as he stared at Ankhu. Bankole reached out a hand. 

“What do you say? Come with me?”

He searched inside himself for an answer and found an overwhelming sense of right. The goddess whispered in his mind, just for him, _Trust me,_ and he leapt. 

Ankhu grabbed the offered hand tightly and pulled himself off the stool, passing through the tiny bit of smoke. It rose up behind him and a shadow formed behind it. No one would know he was gone. 

Ankhu looked around the temple; he so rarely saw it in daylight. 

“So, what now?” Bankole asked. 

Ankhu laughed. “You didn’t think that far, did you?”

He shook his head. “I was hoping for a good story or two but I hadn’t dreamed over anything more.”

Ankhu experienced a sensation he hadn’t in more years than he knew. His stomach growled. “Why don’t we find some place to eat and start with talking.”

Bankole adjusted his grip on Ankhu’s hand. “That’s a good way to begin.”

Together, they left the temple. Behind them, a large cat on the wall smiled. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to 10k for making [art](https://10kiaoi.tumblr.com/post/623013604490428416/for-the-007-fest-anon-prompt-fantasy-au-q-is) for this!!!  
> https://10kiaoi.tumblr.com/post/623013604490428416/for-the-007-fest-anon-prompt-fantasy-au-q-is


End file.
